


Underground

by PurelyWriting



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, Alternia is not too terrible but also pretty bad, Alternia-Focused, Ancestors with Pre-Scratch Names, Angst, Badass Karkat Vantas, Breeding, Buckets (Homestuck), Egg Laying, Eggpreg, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Hemospectrum, Hypnotism, Karkat Vantas-centric, Karkat is kind of a crybaby, Kissing, Limeblood Karkat, Lusii, M/M, Mutant Limeblood Karkat, Oviparous Trolls (Homestuck), Oviposition, Pale Polyamory (Homestuck), Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Romance, Smut, Sollux Captor isn't an asshole, Troll Anatomy (Homestuck), but only for a little bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:08:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23875738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurelyWriting/pseuds/PurelyWriting
Summary: In a rebuilt Alternia, where the rules for members of the Hemospectrum are becoming increasingly strict, Karkat is a Limeblood mutant who is about to receive the shock of his life.
Relationships: Equius Zahhak/Karkat Vantas, Feferi Peixes/Karkat Vantas, Grand Highblood/Karkat Vantas, Grand Highblood/The Signless | The Sufferer, Kankri Vantas/Cronus Ampora, Karkat Vantas/Cronus Ampora, Karkat Vantas/Eridan Ampora, Karkat Vantas/Gamzee Makara, Karkat Vantas/Kanaya Maryam, Karkat Vantas/Nepeta Leijon, Karkat Vantas/Sollux Captor, Kurloz Makara/Kankri Vantas, Kurloz Makara/Karkat Vantas, Orphaner Dualscar/Karkat Vantas, Orphaner Dualscar/The Signless | The Sufferer, The Disciple/The Signless | The Sufferer, The Psiioniic | The Helmsman/The Signless | The Sufferer
Comments: 1
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

Karkat couldn’t breathe.

  
Out of his moult sack, collapsed in a puddle of what could only be a mixture of gooified skin, hair, and other sludge from the moulting process, he could see his reflection.

  
His eyes, once just grey and glaring, were now a bright cherry red. So bright, they might as well have been neon. Was he dreaming? He tried to reach up to touch his face but collapsed onto his chest. His arms shook with strain and his head thundered with his pulse, pushing bright red blood through his system. It reminded him of what he was; a mutant.

  
Being a mutant wasn’t necessarily bad in the eyes of any Troll. The days of shaming those based on abnormal blood colour passed with the death of the previous Empress. That same Empress, Empress Meenah, wasn’t all good. She didn’t cull Fushiabloods anymore, they were royalty and kept in a massive palace somewhere underwater. But, and there always was a but when it came to any Empress, she had implemented the Walls.

  
Karkat pushed his arms out, forcing him onto his elbows and dragged his aching and tingling body out of his moult sack as he sucked in tight breaths and exhaled soft curses of pain. His grub scars were sensitive, having shrunk from outward jutting bumps to smooth flat skin that bared the same vibrant shade of red as his eyes, and they throbbed painfully as he pulled his body over to the abulation trap to rinse the leftover moult from his body.

  
He turned on the water, feeling it pour over him. The warm spray was a blessing on his sore skin, washing away the impurities and sludge down the drain. For a while he just laid down, body stretched out on the floor of the abulation trap until the water went cold. He kicked off the water with his foot and laid there until feeling started to come back to his limbs. All he could really do now was think.

  
From his joint learning sessions with all the others within the Cancer wall, it had been drilled into his brain from the time he was a little wriggler to just a few days before his moult that after the moult ended the Choosing would begin. Based on their blood colour which the Mother Grub herself and her fellow jadeblood’s drew, each Troll would be paired with another of the same blood colour to pail and then give their genetic material to the Mother Grub. After that, they were sent to live out the rest of their lives with whatever job they were assigned by the Empress.  
Karkat closed his eyes, steadying his breath. The ache that had settled deep in his bones was starting to fade little by little. He would be ending his moult at about the same time as everyone else, meaning that he only had hours until he was found out. He shuddered at the thought of his friends finding out what he was. They wouldn’t be disgusted by him, maybe a little hurt from him keeping such a secret from them, but they wouldn’t hurt him.

  
He laid there for a little while more, feeling strength that didn’t come from adrenaline trickle throughout his body until finally, he could push his body up into a seated position. He continued to breathe, conserving what little energy he had. Most Trolls would be in their recuperacoons, sleeping away the stress and pain of their moult. Not Karkat.  
He glanced down at his body, frowning at the water that clung to his grey skin. He felt better, yes, thankful that the gross slime and sludge was cleared of his body. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed when his hands skimmed over his horns. They were still nubby, no amount of moult would change that.

  
“Alright, Karkat,” he whispered under his breath, latching his hands onto the sides of the abulation trap, “just get up,” the muscles in his arms strained, lifting him a measly inch or two off of the slick surface of the abulation trap. Gritting his teeth, he forced his muscles to move.  
No matter how much his body was screaming at him, begging him to rest and stop, he didn’t. He needed to know what time it was, needed to know how much time he had to prepare for the inevitable.

  
He let out a whine of pain as he hefted his upper body up from the rim, his feet planting shakily on the floor. Twisting his upper body, he grabbed onto a single side with both hands and pulled his legs closer to his body. He crouched, clenching his jaw so hard that it hurt, and then straightened his legs.

  
Stars danced in front of his eyes, glittering in blinding white pain. He blinked past it and raised his left leg and rested it on the floor outside of the trap. As he was lifting his right leg, his left slipped from under him and had him rolling onto the floor with a hard thud.  
“Fuck!” He hissed, nearly all of the muscles in his body tensing up from agony. He bit his lip, huffing in breath after breath until his chest hurt.

  
“Okay,” he exhaled, “okay. It’s okay, you’re okay,” he chattered, curling his hands into soft fists and pushed his body up to sit once again.

  
“Just a little more,” he whispered as he brought his knees to his chest, smoothing over his thigh with a wet hand in a soothing pap-like motion. He stood up in slow and clumsy motions, falling onto his ass more than once before his body could bear his weight properly.

  
Passing by a mirror, his reflection caught his eye. He looked similar to how he did pre-moult, maybe a few inches taller, with the most damming thing being his cherry-candy eyes. He looked away quickly, the sight of his eyes making his stomach turn. He was so ugly, a mutant.

  
He left the abulation block, grabbing a black towel and wrapping it around his naked body as the cool air of his hive met his body. It was an easy walk to his respiteblock, though he had to step around the sludge that was left behind by his moult.

  
His moult sack lay on the ground where he had first fallen into his two-week-long session, deflated and oozing what was left of Karkat’s shed. It was gross, seeing the grey sludge leaking out of it which was no doubt his old skin. He covered his mouth before he could vomit, turning away from it and trying to settle his stomach.

  
His husktop’s screen blinked, gaining his attention to where it was situated on his desk. There was a message from one of his friends on screen, some friends from Trollian probably. Shuffling over, he heavily sat down in his desk chair and wiggling the mouse and waking up the machine.

  
AT: kARKAT,  
AT: aRE YOU ALRIGHT,  
AT: uH,  
AT: i HAVEN'T HEARD FROM YOU, aND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE ALRIGHT  
AT: jUST GET BACK TO ME, oKAY,,,  
AT: ,,,,  
CG: HEY TAV  
CG: IM FINE  
CG: JUST  
CG: REALLY TIRED  
CG: MY MOULT TOOK A TOLL ON ME  
CG: I THOUGHT MY FUCKING LEGS WERE BROKEN AT FIRST.  
CG: TOO TIRED TO REALLY TYPE  
CG: THE DRONES WILL BE HERE SOON  
CG: ILL SEE YOU THEN  


  
Karkat looked away from the husktop, clicking out of Trollian and ignoring Tavros’s messages as his friend frantically messaged him back. Closing Trollian allowed him to look into the rest of his husktop. In the bottom right corner, the time was helpfully displayed; 3:42 AM. Karkat groaned and rubbed his face. It was a little after midday, which was usually when he’d be fast asleep

tucked into his recuperacoon, but his stupid fucking moult had tossed that shit out the window.  
Based on estimations only, the Drones would be at his hive when the sun was just starting to set which gave him about five to six hours before the moon’s started to rise. Everyone would see him for what he was then. He rubbed his eyes and sat back a bit, the cushy towel soft against his

damp skin. A quiet ping alerted to him a new message and one not from Tavros. He looked at the screen, seeing a notification from a client he, unfortunately, knew all too well.

  
It was the blaring bright symbol of the Empress. How could she have known that he was out of his moult? Or was it just a simple coincidence? At first, he didn’t click it. He just stared at the icon for a bit, hand on the mouse with the cursor hovering over it. The Fuschia colouring was mocking him, blinking in and out of its true vibrant shade to a darker tone. It continued to mock him, daring him to look inside of its haunting depths.

  
Karkat didn’t know all that much about the Empress, other than that she had taken over the previous one, created the Walls, and pretty much established world order amongst Trolls in Alternia. She still ruled Alternia with an iron fist. She culled less than her ancestor, yes, but she still culled and allowed the violent Indigo Clown Church who carried on their tradition of culling for their Mirthful Messiah’s. Those who rebelled against the crown, or those who murdered without reason and waste the body. It took a lot of adjusting on the Subjugglator’s part, but when the Empress showed that she was no above spilling the blood of those who fought against her, no matter the blood colour, the Grand Highblood himself stepped down and adapted to the rules. Karkat didn’t know too much more about the Indigo-bloods more than that since their wall sectors were nearly on the other side of their enclosed areas.

  
What he did know, from maps he was able to pour over during his teachings, that as the blood colour reached the highest it could go the area of living space and lounging area grew massively. Although there wasn’t a whole lot of information that he could get from his rather low rank on the spectrum. He would live within the community he had lived in since he was a Wriggler, and he would be here until he lived out his sweeps and perished like others before his time.  
As he was deep in thought, his pointer finger twitched and opened up the message. He looked upon the wall of text with a displeased expression.

  
bot: Dear lowblood,  
bot: An overhead alert has given me the information about your recent completed moult, I would like to congratulate you on your continuous survival through alternia and beyond. Through your many sweeps of teachings, you have learnt your place within your little society as well as what you will provide to our society as a whole.  
bot: As the Drones approach your hive, you are urged to not attempt escape, struggle, or any alternate methods. Attempting to escape will trigger the Drones's emergency protocol which will result in injury, and then death.  
bot: If your past teachings have failed you, or if you were somehow unable to attend the required teachings, a detailed explanation of what will occur when the Drones come to collect you.  
bot: The Drones will assist you towards the underground chamber where the Mother Grub is lying in wait as well as her Jade-Blooded assistants who will draw a sample of blood that will be given to the Mother Grub who will determine your exact blood colour, Caste, as well as your true mate. That true mate of yours will be introduced to you after all Trolls of your blood caste are examined.  
bot: Afterwards, you will return to normal life. Your hive will be altered to combine with your true mate's hive. Your place in this world is important, as you are the being who will aid in expanding Alternia beyond the stars! With lowbloods like yourself, the Empire will grow and continue to become successful.  
bot: The Empress thanks you. Hail, Empress Meenah, ruler of Alternia and the outer realm. 

  
Karkat pulled away from the computer, his stomach turning with unease. The message was nice, almost comforting in a twisted sort of way. After a little more time, he shut off the husktop and hauled his body up out of the chair and shuffled over to the welcoming wall of recuperacoon. Dipping inside, the sopor slime surged around him and drew him into the comforting depths. He was submerged in the viscous substance until his entire body from his horns to his toes was encased, like a warm hug.

  
When his lungs started to burn from lack of air, he pushed his feet against the floor of the recuperacoon and forced his head through the vibrant green substance, bursting through the tension that the sopor retained in its thickness. He wiped the sopor from his eyes, blinking as he stared up at the shallow ceiling of the recuperacoon. Soft lights, the same shade of green as the sopor, flickered as electricity flowed through their circuits. He watched them, taking slow and even breaths until a haze settled over his eyes and he fell into a deep slumber, slouched on the headrest that kept his nose and mouth in the air with the rest of his body engulfed within the sopor.

  
In his dreams, he was in a place he didn’t recognize. It was a large cave, with a high ceiling shrouded in darkness where light from flickering torches could not reach. He must have been deep within the cave already, judging by the lack of natural light (or moonlight) coming from either end of the wide path he was walking on. He turned one way, not knowing which way was out and started to walk. His bare feet trodded silently on fine sand that was packed into the earth by many feet before with only clumps of untouched sand slumped up against the walls in mini dunes, not even tall enough to properly cast a shadow.

  
As Karkat continued to walk, he noticed something about what he was wearing. He was as unfamiliar with the clothes as he was with the cave, both the location and the rich robes bestowed upon his body were unknown. The robes were black, with thin stripes of cherry red on the seams and in the middle of the main robe that wrapped around him from his shoulder to his hip and then fastened in the back with what Karkat could make out (from touch alone) as a sort of large brooch sort of thing that held the robes together.

  
Patterns were stitched into the main robe. They were hand-stitched, made with care and obviously took a great amount of effort to make. The swirls of the stitches looked like young ferns, like those that were stubborn enough to survive the harsh and unforgiving Alternia landscape. They sprouted during the day, reaching up to the burning sun fearlessly, but curled down into tight spirals the second the moons began to rise and they could no longer receive the nutrients that the sun so graciously bestowed upon them.

  
Karkat continued to walk, his shadow bounced with each step and warped with the fluttering flames that lined the walls. He rounded a corner and found a small pocket to the side, shallow in nature but just big enough to hold some curious cargo. He approached, peering into the unlit alcove with covert peculiarity. In the alcove, Karkat could see a small chest tucked close to the wall. As he approached, kneeling down and reaching out for it, the wall in front of him flickered.  
His head snapped up, mouth falling open in a shocked gape as two piercing red eyes glowered at him from the darkness. He fell back, not a sound escaping his body. The eyes stared at him, mirth dancing within their sun-red depths, and then came closer. As they approached, they began to reveal just what (or whom) the eyes were attached to.

  
An adult Troll, maybe a decade or so sweeps older than Karkat himself, melted from the shadows. He wore a similar robe like Karkat’s, and in fact he was nearly a spitting image of him!  
This Troll, with short horns that poked out of unruly black hair chopped short, stared down at him. He was smiling kindly, with cheeks rosy with a faint blush. He reached out an arm to Karkat, a hand larger than Karkat’s inviting him to rise.

  
“I startled you,” the Troll said in a hushed tone. His voice was not deep, but nor was high particularly high-pitched. It was somewhere in the middle, sounding husky with age, but tender in tone.

  
“I apologize sincerely for that, please, allow me to help.” The Troll continued, that kind smile still on his face.

  
Karkat stared at the man for a moment. Strangely, he didn’t feel all that shocked. Something about this Troll was familiar. Perhaps it was their similar forms? He rested his hand on the adult’s palm, feeling warm and soft-skinned fingers wrap around his own. As Karkat stood, the Troll rested a comforting hand on the small of Karkat’s back with his other hand still gently clutching Karkat’s own.

  
“Who are you?” Karkat asked, unable to take his eyes away from the Troll. The Troll nodded, humming quietly.

  
“A good question,” he mused, “one that I will answer in time, I assure you. Follow me, we do not have much time.” He began to lead Karkat further down the hall, the hand on his back holding him close to the Troll in a semi-protective motion. Karkat couldn’t find it within him to break free from the grasp, the motion was soothing and still so familiar.

  
The Troll led him through the halls a little more, and then came to a stop in front of an opening to another part of the cave. Inside, Karkat could see that there was a bed carved from the wall with a pile of dark indigo blankets and pillows resting within the crevice. There was a single hole in the ceiling of the room where green moonlight poured through, illuminating the room without the need for torches.

  
“Sit,” the Troll urged, directing Karkat towards a small circle of carved out seats shaped into large stumps each with a plush pillow to sit upon. Karkat took a seat, folding his hands into his lap since he didn’t really know what else to do with them and watched the Troll as he removed his uppermost robe, revealing what he was wearing below.

  
It was a sort of bodysuit. Tight to the skin and all-black save for red on the seams and in a small design on the breast in the sign for Cancer. The Troll took a seat on the stump opposite of Karkat and reached out his hand once more. Karkat placed his hand on it without thinking, and the Troll rubbed his thumb over the back of Karkat’s hand in a slow back and forth motion.

  
After a few more minutes of comfortable silence, the Troll spoke. “My name,” he rasped, “is Kankri Vantas. I am twelve sweeps of age, and I,” he exhaled a breath, “I am your direct ancestor.” His bright red eyes stared into Karkat’s matching ones, burning with intense heat, hotter than any sun in all of the solar systems combined.

  
“I was culled in an accident,” Kankri continued, “but to tell you more than this would reveal too much. What I can tell you if what to do to not repeat the mistakes I made.”

  
“Mistakes?” Karkat repeated, “what the hell are you talking about?”

  
Kankri’s face twisted into one of platonic pity, “our kind were not meant for the Walls, dear Karkat,” he said.

  
“Trolls?”

  
“No, my dear, us,” he squeezed Karkat’s hands, “you will understand later. In order for you to escape a fate worse than death, you must follow my orders to the T, do you understand me?”  
“I think?” Karkat replied, “this is so weird, can’t you just tell me who you are? And what’s going on?”

  
Kankri’s face became pained and he shook his head, “I can’t. I can only cling to this form for a few hours after you wake up I will have already passed on to the otherworld.

  
What you must understand is who you can and cannot trust. When you awaken and the Drones come to you wear something to hide your eyes to others, try to blend into everyone else. When you arrive at the brooding caves, a woman named Porrim will find you and aid you in an escape. Do not allow them to take your blood!” He urged.

  
“Why?” Karkat’s face felt flushed, Kanrki’s eyes were wild. He could see that at the edges of Kankri’s body was flickering slightly, like he was glitching in and out of existence.

  
“They will know what you are,” Kankri replied sharply, “Porrim will give you a book when she rescues you. She will take you to the edge of the walls where you will meet two of my Morails, Mituna and Meulin who will be there with their own offspring who will aide in your travels.”

  
Karkat opened his mouth to speak, but Kankri cut him off with a shake of his head, “the book she gives you will tell you everything you need to know about me. About yourself, and just where we came from. I pray that at the end of all of this, you will be able to rebuild what the empress so cruelly stole from us.”

  
“Wait!” Karkat gasped, the walls were starting to fall away into darkness. Kankri’s body continued to fade at an alarming rate, “I don’t understand!”

  
Kankri said something, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening roar of the void. Invisible hands grabbed him by his shoulders and yanked him back into unending darkness, with Kankri in the cave being the last thing he saw as he was pulled into nothingness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun to write! I'm hoping to get out chapters once to twice a month because I'll be increasing the word count to about 5,000-7,000 words a chapter. Comments are greatly appreciated! 
> 
> I'll also be making a Tumblr for my Homestuck fics, and maybe a Twitter in the future and maybe an Insta. 
> 
> :)

Karkat woke submerged in sopor slime. He closed his mouth to prevent any of the slime going down his throat. He pushed his feet on the ground, surfacing and spitting out the slime that had gotten into his mouth.

Even though sopor slime was soothing, it was gross. It stuck to his hair, to his skin, and dripped off of him in viscous drips as he dragged his body up out of the recuperation and fell into thick piles on the floor. He wiped off his face the best he could as he shuffled over to his small shower area, shivering from cold air until he reached the tiled off area. Turning on the warm water, he stepped underneath the spray and faced the stream. He sighed, carefully running his fingers through his hair to tease the slime out. 

Thankfully, sopor slime was incredibly water-soluble and Troll showers had adapted to filter out anything that might have gotten stuck in any other pipes that weren't as advanced as the Troll ones. He rubbed his hands over his body, grabbing the cheap soap that was provided to him and rubbed it over his skin until bubbles formed. 

When he felt that was perfectly clean, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower and once again into the cold air. He grabbed a towel from a rack and quickly wrapped it around his shivering body. The towels were nice and thick and an inky back. It was a present from Tavros on Karkat's last Wriggling Day when they talked more. 

When things were easier.

He paused the drying process and gently rubbed the soft fabric against his cheek. He didn't often get presents since he didn't have a lot of friends. It was too dangerous. Most Trolls were incredibly ferocious as they grew up, and a lot of them had Lusi that were bloodthirsty and needed sustenance. It wasn't uncommon for Lusi to eat the Trolls that they had taken care of in the Brooding caverns all those sweeps ago.

He missed his Lusus. He was a massive crab creature, very similar to the other crustacean Lusi that Cancer's also had. They took care of their Troll until they became six sweeps old, then they were taken by Drones and shipped off to the ocean where they were "donated" to the much larger and formidable sea-dwelling Lusi. 

Karkat exhaled slowly and continued to dry off his body in slow, gentle, paps. He glanced out the window, pushing the thick curtains aside to peek outside. The sky was dark red as the super-heated sun slowly dipped beyond the horizon. He could tell that it would be night soon, and then the Drones would come. 

He moved to his closet where his clothes hung. All of his clothes were the same because even though Trolls had become more fashion-forward in the years since the old Empress had died, most Trolls whose colour were lower than Jade only had one outfit to wear while those of higher Hemospectrum classes got to at least choose what they wanted to wear. 

Karkat didn't care. He wore his shirts with his sign with pride, even though it didn't match his blood colour in the slightest. While it was a dull sort of green, his blood was a red that could rival Alternia's vibrant sun. He dropped the towel and quickly got dressed. Kankri sounded frantic in his dream, begging for Karkat to listen to him. He took a look around his room, this would be one of the last times he would be at his Hive after he was matched to someone and moved into a home that they would construct together. 

He pulled up his pants, warm pants that were slightly baggy on his legs. As he surveyed his closet, something caught his eye. It was a large thermal blanket that was stuffed into the back of his closet. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what it was. It was a thermal blanket that was given to him by Crabdad. It was full of holes and beaten up pretty bad, but as soon as his hands were on it memories flowed back. Memories of Crabdad taking care of him, putting plasters on his scratches, and making him food whenever he felt ill. 

Tears welled up in his eyes that he wiped away quickly. There was a lump in his throat as he wrapped the thermal blanket around his shoulders and tucked it in close. It was perfect for hiding. He rubbed his face into the cloth, inhaling the faded scent of his Lusus and felt comfort blooming in his chest. With Crabdad with him, he felt like he could do anything. 

For some time, he just sat there with the thermal blanket around him. There was nothing to do but wait for the Drones to arrive and think back on what Kankri wanted him to do. What he had to do was simple; hide, waiting for someone named Porrim who would aide him in his escape, and not allow anyone to take his blood. 

That was simple, right?

He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the knit of the thermal blanket, going in slow circles as he sat there. What did Kankri know? In the brief time, they were able to talk, Kankri was shifty. He was desperate, but why hadn't he contacted Karkat before? Why did he wait until now? 

So many questions and no answers left Karkat confused. He wasn't confused, he was scared. Kankri had died because of a fate that Karkat could also befall, a death that occurred in an accident. What kind of death was that? What could be so terrible that it could cause Kankri to be so frantic that he would come to Karkat in his dreams to warn him? 

A loud humming made him look up, his head snapping to the window. The Drones were here, it was time. He rose to his feet and grabbed his portable device and pocketed it as he went towards the front door, the humming getting louder as he approached. 

He didn't know his hand was shaking until he reached for the doorknob. He rested his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it until it unlatched. The sound of the Drones was nearly deafening at this point and all of his instincts were pleading with him to turn back, to run and hide.

He swung open the door and stepped onto his front porch where was a Drone was waiting for him. It was taller than he remembered when his Lusus was taken away. Its eyeless face stared down at him, shoulders hunched up with thick metal plating. It reached out a massive hand towards Karkat, and he shuffled forward as the Drone gently pushed him down the front steps to where a convey was waiting with other Trolls inside. 

No one looked at him weirdly for wearing the thermal blanket, because most of them had their own thermal blankets for gifts that were left behind by their Lusi as a loving gesture that only a Lusus could do.

He took a seat towards the back where no one would bother him and curled up in a ball. He took a look at his hive as the Drone plodded onto the next one before the convoy's engine took on a grumbling rattle and took off down the road towards a large and thin road that obviously led to the caverns. 

For the most part, Karkat knew where he was. Wherever he looked outside, he could see in the distance the tall walls that separated him from the other mini-societies. When he was younger, he would wonder what they were like. How did they learn? What were their Lusi like? 

Now, however, he didn't really wonder all that much. He was grown up now, he needed to think like an adult. If he was going to survive in this world, especially with cryptic messages from a long-dead ancestor that told him that he wasn't supposed to live the life that had been laid out before him by the empire. 

From his perspective, the future he had long since known to be the one he would share with other Trolls was being warped and shifted before his eyes. And how did he know that he could trust Kankri? Even though they shared the same tone of blood, could Karkat trust someone whom he had only met in a dream? 

He fiddled with the frayed edge of his thermal blanket as he watched the scenery change. They were reaching the edge of their community quickly. The walls that arched high above the convoy, tall and cracked and so very old. Older than Karkat, older than anyone he had ever known. 

As the convoy approached the massive doors where the center of the walls was. It was where the Brooding cavern was. Karkat's bloodpusher felt like it was in his throat, choking him and cutting off his air. He sucked in a trembling breath as the large metal doors creaked open, letting in a flush of acrid air that made his nose wrinkle up in distaste. 

It was the smell of dried blood, which Karkat quickly realized came from something truly horrifying. Blood was everywhere. Husks of dead Wrigglers were squished into the dirt, sowing the ground with blood that mingled together as one. The drones, with their massive metal feet, squished through the dirt as they led the levitating convoy further in. 

Karkat sat up, covering his head with the thermal blanket as he looked out onto the carnage. Purple silks were hung from large pillars that jutted up from the ground, with the Capricorn symbol painted on it in what Karkat hoped was paint, although it was probably blood. 

Trolls walked around the center, dressed in their signature blood colour. Multiple other convoys sputtered around, carting Trolls to and from. Karkat looked around the large, wide-open space. It was a massive circle, with tall doorways that obviously led to the other sections of the walls. Each door had the sign painted above it in each signature colour, though as they got higher up the Hemospectrum, the detail became more and more expensive with gold and silver lining the signs and the doors. 

Suddenly, a massive Troll appeared, slamming his giant fists into the sides of the convoy. Karkat, among with his fellow Trolls squealed in fear as the convoy wobbled and tipped but thankfully didn't fall over. The purple-blood stared down at him, white facepaint painted in a cruel smile. His eyes were wild and his horns long and spindly. 

The Troll laughed, his head tipping back as he let out a thunderous chuckle of delight at their fear. His eyes met Karkat's for a fleeting moment and his smile faltered. He gripped the roof of the convoy with his massive claws and leant in, so close that Karkat could smell the blood wafting off of him. 

Karkat whimpered and curled into his thermal blanket, shielding away his face. The Troll growled something that might have been a curse or a prayer. He pulled away from the convoy, and Karkat peeked out a little to see him. His eyes were flashing purple and pink, he was attempting to hypnotize them. 

Karkat immediately shielded his face again, fighting against the whispers that teased at the edge of his subconsciousness. This was one of the reasons that Highbloods were so dangerous. They spoke to those who had passed beyond time, their mirthful messiahs who answered their prayers and taught them the ways of their cult. 

His fellow Limebloods trembled around him, their cries as the whispers of the Highblood breached their brains. It stopped when a fearsome growl pierced the air, ending the murmuring before it could get any worse. Karkat didn't look up until the convoy started to move again and when those who had been possessed settled around him. 

The convoy cruised slowly towards the brooding caverns. They were in a line behind a few other convoys that approached an archway that led into the caverns. The archway sloped downwards into the darkness that was only lit by a pair of torches lit with a curious green light. 

Their convoy slowly made its way down the path, gliding slowly into the darkness. Karkat's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, faint light coming from small LED's that were on the edges of the convoy. The walls of the cavern were made of dirt where the Mother Grub had dug all those years ago. They made their way slowly down the slope one by one. 

Karkat shivered, a sudden chill coiling through his blood. He pulled the thermal blanket until the fabric stretched and a few seams popped. He could hear crying coming from beside him, a terrified Troll who leant into his touch when he lifted his arm to let him cuddle underneath Karkat's blanket. 

One of his horns, sharp despite how nubby they were, poked against Karkat's cheek but he couldn't bring himself to care. He curled an arm around the Troll, patting his arm in a slow yet rhythmic pattern. 

"Shh," he whispered, the sound leaving his body unintentionally. The Troll, however, sagged against him as if sleep had taken over his body, so Karkat continued. The whimpers and sniffles that surrounded him started to fade as the Trolls who were in the convoy started to creep and crawl towards Karkat, like flies to bright light. 

"Shh," Karkat continued, his other hand reaching out to pap whoever was closest to him on instinct. He had an urge to pull them all closer like a greedy Lusus who didn't want to choose a single Wriggler. He leant into the feeling and the sound coming from him became thicker with a comforting tone. 

All too soon, the convoy reached the end of the slope and followed the others that spilled into a large open room. The light blinded Karkat for a moment, shining on his pile of bodies not from a torchlight, but from massive gems that jutted out of the walls and emitted their own alluring glow. 

In the center of it all was the Mother Grub. She was a massive beast, completely white like all Lusi was. She had a face that was similar to that of a Troll, with eyes and lips and a facial structure that was high cheekbones and a narrow chin. Her eyes were a deep jade, shimmering just like the gems around them. Karkat's breath hitched when he realized that she was blind, her eyes unseeing as he slowly lifted her head to 'look' around. 

All around her were Jade-bloods. They all wore vibrant clothing that showed off their blood colour, as well as thick black veils positioned below their bright yellow eyes. They were all Rainbowdrinkers, Jade-bloods who had been killed in a Highblood ritual and returned to life with glowing skin and their almost neon coloured eyes. 

Karkat shrunk back, bowing his head and gathering his blanket around him once more. The spell he had once had over those in his convoy was broken as all of them stared upon the Mother Grub in blatant awe. There were many other convoys, all with Trolls. They came and went slowly, dropping off a group of ten to twelve Trolls who would approach the Mother Grub, look deep into her eyes before their fingers were gently pricked with a needle and given to the Mother Grub to lick. She would say something in her odd language, a sort of playful tone in her voice, and then the next Troll would approach. 

Soon enough, it was their turn. The door to the convoy opened with a hiss and allowed them all to pile out one by one. Karkat gripped his blanket, terrified that someone would take it away from him but no one did. He shuffled to the back of the line, eyes darting around. 

Kankri said that someone named Porrim would be here to rescue him. Above them came a deep roar that made the walls of the caverns shake. The Mother Grub lifted her head and moaned something, to which her attendants rushed forward, popping her to soothe her like she was a wild animal. 

The roaring continued, though it was not a sound of anger. It was one of excitement, made by a Highblood when a chance to hunt appeared. Perhaps a Capricorn convoy had appeared? Karkat bit his lip as the Mother Grub returned to her duties.

The process went deceptively quickly, with the Mother Grub tasting their blood and looking over them with her blind eyes critically before they were loaded back into the convoy. Eventually, he was the final one. 

He stepped forward, his pulse beating in his ears as he stared down the Mother Grub who stared right back. An attendant stepped forward and held out her hand to him. Karkat hesitated, took another look around, and then offered up his hand in defeat. 

Perhaps Kankri hadn't been real after all, and it had all been some weird dream caused by sopor. The attendant looked at him and their eyes met. Her eyes widened for a moment as she held the needle above his finger, and then plunged it into the soft skin. 

Karkat flinched, a quiet hiss escaping his mouth as his vibrant blood oozed out of the wound. The room went quiet, all eyes were on Karkat now. The attendant gently guided his hand towards the Mother Grub who stuck out her tongue and gently laved it over Karkat's finger. She paused at the taste, her eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. She made a sound and settled down and smiled kindly at Karkat. 

"Lime-" The attendant began, but a massive explosion from above cut her off.

Dirt and rock rained down in sheets as red and blue lasers poured through the hole in the ceiling where the moonlight was coming through. Karkat stumbled back, coughing and wheezing as dust welled up in his lungs. He watched along with the others as a Psionic descended from the hole above. He stared directly at Karkat, took a moment, and then flew right at him. 

Karkat let out a shriek of fear, putting his arms out in front of him to shield him from the Psionic. To his surprise, he was scooped up from the ground by the tingling power held him. He opened his eyes just in time to watch as he was flown up high into the air by the Psionic. They quickly cleared the wall, allowing Karkat to see the horizons beyond for just a few moments before their descent began once more. 

Karkat screamed, holding onto the Psionic's arm as they fell towards the ground. 

"Shut up!" The Psionic growled, "I'm with Porrim!" His voice had a lisp to it, but it was masked by his irritation. Karkat heaved in a ragged breath, staring up at the Psionic who landed on the ground next to a large forest. He was dropped unceremoniously, landing with a pained grunt as he stared up at the Troll above him. 

"Sollux!" A female voice called from a ways away, "oh, thank Gog you got him."

Karkat turned to see a Jade-blood rushing towards them. She was tall, with hair cut short. She wore jade tinted clothing as all others of her blood colour did, but she wore it with a stripe of red that went down the middle of her chest. 

"Come, come," she urged, pulling Karkat to his feet and ushering him and Sollux towards the forest, "it's much too dangerous to be out here," she sent Sollux a withering glare, "and we agreed _not_ to blow things up! What were you thinking?!"

She scolded Sollux as they ran through the woods, Sollux floated a few inches off the ground, as she held tightly onto Karkat's arm and dragged him through. Karkat held onto his blanket, his pricked finger throbbing as he starred up at the Jade-blood in awe. 

Was this Porrim? Perhaps Kankri wasn't lying?

He didn't have that much more time to think as he was dragged into a clearing where a make-shift camp had been set up. There were a few other Trolls there, all of them looking startled at the trio's brash entrance into the camp. 

The Jade-blood didn't hesitate as she rushed around the camp with her hand still firmly clamped on Karkat's arm and shouting out orders to those around her who scattered in an attempt to do her bidding. Karkat tried to get at least a word or two in but with the frantic way she was tugging him through the camp and the chaos spilling around them, he thought it better to stay quiet. 

"We have to move fast," she said sharply as they approached a hovering vehicle that already had two Trolls inside. Karkat was practically tossed inside of the vehicle, almost tumbling onto the floor in a scattered lump of loose blankets and a high-pitched squeal, one that Karkat wasn't even aware he could make. 

Sollux and the Jade-blood got into the vehicle after him, the olive-blood in the front stepped on the gas pedal and sent the vehicle peeling out of the clearing and into the woods. 

"Wha-" Karkat stammered as he was pulled up once again by the Jade-blood who had a slightly frazzled look on her face. She frantically patted down his body, checking him for any marks while muttering under his breath in an anxious tone. 

"Are you hurt?" She asked, "did they take your blood?" 

Karkat looked into her concerned eyes, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he stammered. He held up his injured finger to her which was still oozing blood from the needle. She looked over his hand and her lips settled into a thin line. 

"They saw it," she whispered, cupping his hand in her own two, "Karkat, I apologize. It wasn't supposed to go like this," she grasped his thermal blanket and pulled it snug around the back of his head and fit his little horns through some rips in the fabric. 

"What do you mean?" He asked, "are you-are you Porrim?"

Porrim nodded with sad eyes, "I am. You spoke to Kankri, I presume. What did he tell you?"

Karkat licked his lips. They were dry and felt like sandpaper and his throat clenched when he tried to swallow. As he explained what Kankri had told him to the best of his ability, Porrim's face fell further. At the mention of the book, realization filled her expression. 

"Ah yes," she hummed, ruffling around in a sack that was at her feet. She pulled out a large, leather-bound book that looked to be older than Porrim herself. The corners were cracked where the leather had gotten dry enough to warp, and the paper was yellowed with age. 

"This," she began, "this book has been passed down through your lineage since before the very first Empress." She held the book out to Karkat and he took it. His hands were weighed down with the weight of the tome. The leather had been smoothed down by fingerprints, passed from hand to hand. 

"Kankri told me that I was different," Karkat said, looking up at Porrim with his eyebrows pinched together in concern. 

"You are," Porrim said soothingly, "when Kankri perished this book was nearly lost. It will tell you everything you need to know about who you are, and where you came from."

"I came from the Mother Grub," Karkat blurted, "like you did! I'm a Troll!"

"Only partially," Porrim corrected, still using her gentle tone, "your mutated gene is one that has been passed down through eons. I had thought that since Kankri died, your kind was extinct but," she gestured to Karkat's entire body, "here you are!"

Karkat managed a wobbly smile and looked back down at the book. On the cover was a symbol he'd never seen before. It was a straight line with a half-moon on top sitting exactly in the middle of the line. The symbol was faded and worn, the previous colour that had been there having been rubbed off a long time ago and left only a dark red stain of what it once was. 

He opened the cover to the first page where dark ink scrawled out messy words in Alternian. 

**From the two moons, the hottest sun, the warmest night**

**Come we**

Karkat turned the page and found much neater writing, and as the vehicle passed through the night, he continued to pour over the pages of his people's history.


End file.
